Old and rare Scottish tartans : $b with historical introduction and descriptive noticesStewart, Donald William
History
Old and rare Scottish tartans : $b with historical introduction and descriptive notices
Stewart, Donald William
Tartans -- Scotland
These lands formerly belonged to the “Abbot of the Isle of Iona.”
They were annexed to the Crown at the period of the alteration of the
State religion in Scotland in the sixteenth century, and feued out to
Makclene of Dowart on the conditions referred to, and they appear in
the Register of Temporalities belonging to the Crown in this form:—
Charge. Argile and Tarbart. Item, the comptar charges him with the
fewmaillis of the fyve merk lands of Narraboll liand within the said
shirefdome set in few to Hector M^cClane of Dowart extending yeirlie
in claith of quhite blak and grene cullouris respective to lx elnis.
The eln sauld be infeftment at viii^d with the new augmentation of
the same extending to 1 eln of clayth sauld as said is Inde the yeir
comptit in money to xls. viiid.[30]
John Sobieski Stuart’s transcriber had failed to give him the full
reference by omitting the words “et ulnam panni in augmentationem
rentalis,” which, taken in connection with the two contemporary
vernacular readings above given, settles that the cloth was not to be
of three separate pieces, each of an individual colour, but cloth in
which the dyes specified were interwoven.
But more remains to be said about this remarkable feu-duty. About
1617 Makclene of Dowart appears to have got into difficulties. At all
events, in that year a Crown charter of the lands was granted to Rorie
M’Kenzie of Cogeauche. The reddendo is identical with that in the
charter of 1587-8 already quoted, but the signature is in these words:—
And lykewise for the foirsaid fyve merk land of Narrobolsydh with the
pertinentis thriescoir ellis of quhyte blak and gray claith respective
or viii^d money foirsaid for euerie elne in the optioun of the said
Rory M^cKenzie his airis maill and assignais foirsaidis at the termes
abone specifiet be equall portiones as the auld meill. And lykewise
ane elne of claith or aucht penneis for the price thairof in yeirlie
augmentatioun of the rentall gif it beis askit.[31]
When the lands were restored in 1630 to Makclene of Dowart, while the
Latin charter remains unchanged, the signature is in these words:—
For the foirsaid fyve merk land of Morrabulsadtir with the
pertinentis, thriescore elnis of claith quhyte blak and gras cullour
respective or aucht penneis vsuell money of the said realme of
Scotland for ilk elne at the will of the said Lauchlane his aires male
and assignais foirsaidis at twa termes in the yeare Witsounday and
Mertinmas in winter be equall portiounis as the auld fewferme. Ane
elne of claith or aucht penneis for the price thereof in augmentatioun
of the yeirlie rent gif it beis askit.[32]
The explanation is simple enough. White and black and green are the
only colours in the oldest authenticated Mac Lean tartan.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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